I am not in the habit of using the local plane but I wondered how the service compares since flybe took over the Loganair franchise from British Airways. Anyone with any feedback on things like punctuality, changing or cancelling reservations, baggage allowances, connections in Glasgow etc?

Hi Tommy,I use Flybe very frequently and must say that I am very disappointed with the service. My company pay a lot of money to fly me from overseas using Business class options. I was once booked on an afternoon flight because my overseas flight was delayed. However, I managed to make it at Glasgow airport at 7am. I was advised by their agent Servisair that to change my ticket I would have to contact my travel agent. I told them my travel agent at the time was in Kazakhstan. They said not their problem. I managed to contact my travel agent by E-mail (cost me £5), Luckily they replied and said to me to deal with the requirement to change flight myself. I showed the Flybe's agent my computer and the mail and they reluctantly agreed for me to get on the early flight. When I got to the gate I found out I was only one of two passengers. Also getting an online boarding card is not very easy. Twice I could not get one even though I had E-ticket and booking reference. Their website would not accept. Better in the old days when BA ran the service, although Flybe flights are a lot cheaper. On another occasion at Glasgow airport I handed over my e-ticket at checkin. They said the computer could not issue me with the boarding card because there were two people with my name booked on different Flybe flights to Campbeltown. I had to wait 30 minutes before I was issued boarding card and luckily the flight was delayed 30 minutes so I was able to fly.Next time I see Scott Grier at Machrihanish golf club I will tell him of my previous problems trying to fly between Campbeltown and Glasgow.

Cannot speak for the Campbeltown service - but I have used the Belfast one a couple of times. Similar problems encountered to DRUMLEMEN1. Very bureaucratic, and not at all focused on make the experience a pleasant one for the flying, paying passenger.

If you are able to book your BA flight around six weeks prior to departure you usually always get a good fare. I cannot say the same for flybe on the routes I do now, and I avoid them like the plague.

With effect from Monday 20 April, new security measures will be introduced at Campbeltown Airport which will require any passengers travelling with hold baggage to arrive at the airport one hour before their flight.

Additional security checks are now required as a result of national legislation; and these will take extra time before the departure of every flight to complete.

We would therefore ask any passenger travelling with hold baggage to ensure that they arrive at the airport at least one hour before departure to complete check-in and the additional security process.

Loganair wishes to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by this requirement, which has been introduced following liaison between Highlands & Islands Airport Ltd (the operator of Campbeltown Airport) and the UK Department for Transport.

I find this astonishing. Other Highlands & Islands airports do not have such a long check-in time - so why Machrihanish? Even Heathrow T5 can cope with 45 minutes for travellers with luggage to check in.

Any insights into the background on this? Will you be prohibited from flying if you arrive 55 minutes before departure time?

Buzz Lightyear wrote:Unfortunately as with a lot of things it is out with the airports control and it is regulations that must be enforced from the Department for Transport and also now more and more Europe.

Thanks for this, Buzz.

I appreciate your inside knowledge, so how do you explain that our airport is the only one that Loganair/ flybe serves that will be introducing this new regime? Not Islay, Tiree, Barra ... etc - as far as I can tell. Nor even Stornoway - described by a friend of mine as "the El-Al training facility that is Stornoway airport security" insists on this one hour rule.

Buzz Lightyear wrote:Unfortunately as with a lot of things it is out with the airports control and it is regulations that must be enforced from the Department for Transport and also now more and more Europe.

Thanks for this, Buzz.

I appreciate your inside knowledge, so how do you explain that our airport is the only one that Loganair/ flybe serves that will be introducing this new regime? Not Islay, Tiree, Barra ... etc - as far as I can tell. Nor even Stornoway - described by a friend of mine as "the El-Al training facility that is Stornoway airport security" insists on this one hour rule.

I am no longer there or here whatever it is....but what i can tell you is that it is due to the type and size of aircraft that visits. Barra is in the same boat or is it plane?? as campbeltown these measures were introduced at Tiree about 18 months ago though we did manage to get machinery maninng etc in place to make it easier, the hour was given as the bags have to be physicllly hand searched as there is no x-ray facility available at the moment. Islay had an upgrade around 3-4 years ago and saw considerable changes at the time to the terminal infrastructure, but like everything it takes time and most importantly money.

Campbeltown is and will be no differant than any of the other HIAL units or indeed any othe UK airports in what it does and will do, although the perception is from the outside is always 'why???? and we dont need to change, sorry we are living in a changed world now and there is some bad people out there.....and to anyone says but it will never happen here......a lot of people said that about Glasgow, yes it may never happen to the town, but where does the aircraft fly to?

just to addto what buzz said. hopefully we wont have to wait too long for x-rays and AMDs but until then everything is done by hand search, but hopefully with the security agents smiling faces it will help things along.

Last edited by alanjulia on Tue Apr 21, 2009 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Buzz Lightyear wrote:I am no longer there or here whatever it is....but what i can tell you is that it is due to the type and size of aircraft that visits. Barra is in the same boat or is it plane?? as campbeltown these measures were introduced at Tiree about 18 months ago though we did manage to get machinery maninng etc in place to make it easier, the hour was given as the bags have to be physicllly hand searched as there is no x-ray facility available at the moment. Islay had an upgrade around 3-4 years ago and saw considerable changes at the time to the terminal infrastructure, but like everything it takes time and most importantly money.

Campbeltown is and will be no differant than any of the other HIAL units or indeed any othe UK airports in what it does and will do, although the perception is from the outside is always 'why???? and we dont need to change, sorry we are living in a changed world now and there is some bad people out there.....and to anyone says but it will never happen here......a lot of people said that about Glasgow, yes it may never happen to the town, but where does the aircraft fly to?

Cheers for that Buzz. This is useful context. From what you say it is about dealing with the lack of x-ray equipment. You get so many of these scanners nowadays, going into a lot of public buildings now too, I would have thought that these should be more affordable now for HIAL. But I bow to your authority in these matters

My issue was with consistency across airports. I have flown in and out of Barra a couple of times in the last 18 months, and on each occasion only needed to turn up around 20/30 minutes before departure. Yes - bags were hand-searched - and I fully appreciate this need for this. No problems there. My issue is with the one hour stipulation, and whether it will be enforced rigidly. If things go like they do in Barra, then it seems like there will be some lee-way.

Unlike in Heathrow T5. If any of you need to go through it be aware that you need to check in your luggage 45 minutes before departure, and clear security 35 minutes before the scheduled take-off. Even if there is a major delay. Be warned - many people get turned back.

flew down on monday afternoon, the final flight after 38 hours of travelling from Australia......

plane was delayed by 45mins. but otherwise service was good. they had said I could only take 20kgs baggage and would not allow me to pre-book additional. I thought this could be a problem as i had 42kgs to take home!

I picked up a friend from Wednesday's afternoon flight. It was extremely busy both ways, but more so inward than outbound. I also priced a flight for myself for Friday afternoon and could have flown to Glasgow for £36.00. What a good price and what a shame I couldn't fly back on Saturday or Sunday! Any plans for weekend flights does anybody know?

When I was home recently for the MOKFest I got the "wee" plane both ways and was quite happy with the service both ways. I would much rather fly than do the drive any day. Weekend flights would be nice though!